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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22414207">March to My Heartbeat</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eri_quin/pseuds/eri_quin'>eri_quin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire &amp; Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Boners, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Coming of Age, Daddy Issues, F/M, Families of Choice, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Just Plain Awkward Stannis, Marching Band, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Surrogate mother, please and thank you</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 15:09:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,612</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22414207</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eri_quin/pseuds/eri_quin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shireen has a hard time with people, but Sansa has always been there and parents her more than her actual parents. She doesn't even know where her mother is and her father tries but ends up awkward or distant. But she has Sansa and band, so it's alright, she supposed.</p><p>Sansa had been taking care of Shireen for a long time. She’s been to each of the girl’s band concerts. She also makes sure Stannis gets the invites and pictures. He just hadn’t realized how much a part of their lives she was until she was practically gone.</p><p>These two awkward Baratheons have had their lives entwined with Sansa's so much that they couldn't picture life without her.</p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <i>Gazing over the massive crowd, he almost missed the shout of his name.</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>“Mr. Baratheon! Mr. Baratheon, over here!”</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Confused, he searched out the caller, trying to find them —only to stop and go into shock at a familiar (and yet not familiar) red head standing up and waving at him.</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>A very beautiful, matured, older Sansa Stark was excitedly waving at him from her spot.</i>
  </p>
</blockquote>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Renly Baratheon &amp; Stannis Baratheon, Shireen Baratheon &amp; Sansa Stark, Shireen Baratheon &amp; Stannis Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon/Sansa Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>164</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Band Invite</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I needed some fluffy, light, not-heavy fic to work on XD</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>It was a long day, he could predict that. But as COO of Baratheon Enterprises, Stannis had always had a good work ethic and knew that he had to be able to work through the messes Robert inevitably got them into.</p>
<p>The myriad of emails greeted Stannis as he settled in for work that day. As per usual, he went through them diligently before stumbling across an email that looked like it belonged more to his personal email. He cautiously opened it up, despite the label saying only “Band Invite!”</p>
<p>
  <em>Hey, Mr. Baratheon! I sent you an email through personal too, but I think you checked this one more often so I sent one to here. Shireen’s high school band is having a showcase and she’s performing. She’d really like you to be there, so please come! I sent the details through text so it’d be easier for you to check with. Hope to see you there!</em>
  
</p>
<p>He blinked, caught off guard. A niggle of guilt bothered him. He hadn’t even known Shireen was in band. He vaguely remembered her asking some years ago for some sort of instrument, but he hadn’t asked why.</p>
<p>He didn’t even know what instrument and if that was the one she was currently playing for band. Had he received similar invites before? Gods! He’d probably hadn’t even paid attention and ignored them. Knowing he was more prone to cleaning up and managing his business email, he checked his personal and searched up ‘band’, flinching at the number of ‘invites’ he’d received.</p>
<p>Horrified, he realized he’d had <em>three years</em> worth of band invites and hadn’t read a single <em>one</em>. He’d ignored all of them, except the first few, but he couldn’t recall anything about even seeing them.</p>
<p>Checking his phone, he found a recent text that did indeed give him the details of Shireen’s showcase. Moving up, he realized he received just as many texts from this unsaved number. Resolved to attend his daughter’s showcase this time, he finished checking his business email and then left his office.</p>
<p>Showing up in front of his secretary, he informed her of his early departure and to leave a message on his phone if something urgent comes up. His strides were rapid in his hurry to leave and make time, and he nearly bowled over his younger brother in his haste.</p>
<p>“Stannis! What’s the hurry?” Renly smiled at him, making him agitatedly push passed him.</p>
<p>“Not now, Renly! I have somewhere I need to be and I don’t want to be late,” he said in a short tone.</p>
<p>Renly raised an eyebrow, following after him casually. “Where’s that?”</p>
<p>“Shireen has a band performance today,” Stannis walked faster. “I just found out this morning.”</p>
<p>“Oh! That’s right, her showcase is today,” Renly said, making him stop short and stare at him. “I couldn’t make it today, but I’ll get a recording and some pictures later.”</p>
<p>Stannis missed most of that last part, still stuck on the fact that <em>Renly knew</em>. “You know about her concerts?”</p>
<p>His younger brother rolled his eyes, already grabbing his phone to check. “Yeah, of course I do. I’m her favorite uncle! I go whenever I can, which isn’t often unfortunately. I still keep up though, get all the pictures and videos. I make sure I at least get a recording of her performance to watch.”</p>
<p>The guilt intensified in Stannis. He’d always, even before the divorce, tried his best to do right by Shireen. He’d tried to teach her to be independent and while he hadn’t spoiled her, he’d gotten what she wanted within reason. He’d given her space and let her grow into her own person.</p>
<p>But it was also true that he’d always been an awkward and distant parent. Shireen had inherited that from him. Interacting with others was just a problem, even if he had the inclination to. And even if she was his daughter, he had just as much issues connecting with her and not knowing what to say. He just left it well alone.</p>
<p>Yet now he found out his <em>youngest, immature</em> (though not as irresponsible and reckless as Robert) brother not only knew about Shireen’s concerts, but cared enough to try to attend or at least have pictures and videos for them.</p>
<p>He felt like a useless father.</p>
<p>“I’ll send some pictures,” Stannis murmured and Renly actually beamed at him. “Thank you, Renly,” he surprised the other. “For being a good uncle.”</p>
<p>Renly clasped his shoulder. “It’s no burden —Shireen’s tons better than Joffrey anyhow!”</p>
<p>That pulled a snort out of Stannis, before he looked at his watch and realized the time. “I have to go!”</p>
<p>“Go, go! Tell Shireen good luck and I love her,” Renly sent him off.</p>
<p>Stannis, for the first time in a long time since he could remember, felt a fondness in his heart for Renly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Stannis found himself irritated as he tried to drive as fast as he could to Shireen’s high school. Time was running out on him and he hadn’t even reached her school! The Gods know he still had to worry about parking, much less find a damn seat. Trying not to earn a ticket, he sped as fast he could and lucked out on parking, beating out about two other cars that entered behind him and had to go searching for other available parking.</p>
<p>Seeing the long line (that was thankfully moving at a steady pace), he resigned himself to getting in line and waited. In the meantime, he took out his phone and tried to finish up some business through it, glancing at the time every once and a while. He was cutting it close.</p>
<p>Once he was nearer to the front, he purchased his ticket and then headed in. Ignoring the food and merchandise being sold, he went to the stands and grimaced as he realized how full it was. If he wanted to find a seat, he was going to have to make due with being squashed between people.</p>
<p>Gazing over the massive crowd, he almost missed the shout of his name.</p>
<p>“Mr. Baratheon! Mr. Baratheon, over here!”</p>
<p>Confused, he searched out the caller, trying to find them —only to stop and go into shock at a familiar (and yet not familiar) red head standing up and waving at him.</p>
<p>A very beautiful, matured, <em>older</em> Sansa Stark was excitedly waving at him from her spot.</p>
<p>Started 1/20/20 – Completed 1/24/20</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/n: Ah, this is pretty short, but I wanted to get this chapter done and out so I can get a groove on this story. The story’ll probably be pretty short overall anyway, I believe. In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoyed it and please remember to review! Cute times ahead~ If you have a suggestion for the instrument Shireen uses, let me know!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Girl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shireen felt her nerves lighting up and down her body, making her feel jittery. Sansa, as always, was supportively by her side and wrangling her hair into a flower crown braid to match hers. She’d even weaved actual flowers into her hair!</p>
<p>“So…nervous?” she asked and Shireen huffed.</p>
<p>“Of course I am! I don’t want to be the one girl who messes it up for everyone,” she said, feeling like she wanted to bite her nails. A bad habit that she’d mostly grown out of.</p>
<p>Sansa smiled sweetly at her. “You’ll be fine,” she said encouragingly. “You’ve been in band since your first day in middle school, and you practice for hours every day, sweetheart.”</p>
<p>“But this is <em>high school</em>!”</p>
<p>“And you, Shireen Baratheon, are an accomplished saxophonist,” her older friend said firmly and her cheeks flushed in pleasure at the praise, looking up at Sansa happily.</p>
<p>Sansa Stark was more like a sister than a friend. In fact, Shireen amended that to Sansa being more like an actual mom than anything else.</p>
<p>Sansa, after all, has been there for the longest time. Shireen could even pinpoint the <em>exact</em> moment that she came into her life and became more than just Uncle Robert’s best friend’s daughter.</p>
<p>
  <em>It was an impulse really. They’d asked her for what elective she wanted and, remembering her mother’s disdain for music overall and feeling a bit rebellious, she’d chosen to have band as her elective class.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But as she was actually in the class, she started to feel lost and alone. And when they started having the students try each instrument over a few days to see for a good fit, Shireen was convinced they wouldn’t find one for her.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And then they gave her the <strong>saxophone</strong>.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She was horrified. It looked too complicated and when they’d had her tried it, she hadn’t thought she sounded good at all! In fact, she thought she sounded like a complete mess and couldn’t follow any of the directions in the basics to use one.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She’d debated on renting or buying one, not even consulting either of her parents. She knew her mother would be just as horrified as her, magnified by the fact that not only was Shireen not paired with an ‘elegant’ instrument, but that Selyse abhorred music in general. Her father cared about her, but he was too busy and working too much to really scrutinize her likes and dislikes, nor wonder too much about this kind of thing (or oppositely analyze it too much).</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She debated asking Davos, since he was very much like an uncle and even second father to her…but then it would get back to her father, which would bring her back to her original points.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Uncle Renly was here now though —maybe she could ask him? He didn’t tell her father everything and he’d been much nicer to her ever since her parents’ divorce and after meeting his new boyfriend Loras.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>When she quietly told him the problem, he actually seemed enthused.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh! You should talk to Sansa. You’ve met before, but you were much younger —back when you and your parents regularly attended the Baratheon parties. She’s a family friend, <strong>my</strong> best friend actually. She’s also friends with Margaery and Loras, and how I met Loras in the first place.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She grew excited at that. “Really? I think I sort of remember her…” Not really. Maybe just a blurred outline of an older girl and lots of red.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Not creepy blood red like that Meli-something that her father worked with. It was a nice, pretty, fiery kind of red…</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You think she’d help me?” she asked him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Sure she would. I know Sansa —she’s a sucker for cute little strays like you,” Uncle Renly grinned, pinching her cheeks.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Uncle Renly!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And when her uncle drove her over to meet Sansa, her first thought was —</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Wow —she’s really pretty,’ and she got embarrassingly starry-eyed, ignoring her uncle’s snickering beside her.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But then Sansa smiled warmly at her and said, “Hello, Shireen. Welcome to my home. Won’t you come in?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A part of Shireen already didn’t want to leave.</em>
</p>
<p>After that, Sansa had helped her decide whether or not to buy a saxophone. For once on a whim after seeing Sansa’s own <a href="http://www.cannonballmusic.com/ss_altos.php">saxophone</a>, a beautiful alto that had an aged brass finish that made her want one too (“If you’re going to stick with it for the long run and really want to play it, then yes, a permanent one that you’ll become familiar with is best. Otherwise, rent it! You wouldn’t want to be stuck with it!”), Shireen had bought a smaller, cheaper one to start with the next day with permission from her father and Sansa had then helped her to figure out the basics that very afternoon.</p>
<p>Ever since then, Shireen had always had Sansa in her life —she went to all of Shireen’s concerts, volunteered for the band events and helped her fund raise (seriously, and not just throw money at Shireen’s band program, even though both of them had family money to spare), and chaperoned for the competitions. And even more, when it came to just regular school stuff, Shireen could count on Sansa to be there too.</p>
<p>After all, every parent-teacher conference since the beginning of middle school was attended by her! The rare field trip was signed off and sometimes volunteered as a chaperon by Sansa, and sheepishly Shireen usually bothered Sansa with papers that needed to be signed.</p>
<p>Her dad was just always…busy. And her mother? By now, her mother had stopped answering phone calls and hadn’t picked her up for her time with Shireen in over a year.</p>
<p>It was something bitter to swallow.</p>
<p>But, as she glanced at Sansa, she could bite down on her unhappiness at remembering her biological mother and focus on someone who actually cared to be there for her.</p>
<p>“Hey, my custom band shirt came!” Sansa said cheerfully, reaching for the plastic bag by the vanity. “I haven’t seen it yet so we can see it together.”</p>
<p>“Let’s see!” Shireen echoed her cheer.</p>
<p>When Sansa pulled out the black shirt, silver glittered picture of Mickey Mouse on the back with a saxophone, the redhead grinned brightly. But then she let out a surprised “Oh!” when she saw the front.</p>
<p>“They made a mistake,” Sansa blinked. “They put ‘Band Mom’ instead of ‘Band Sis.’”</p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Shireen blurted out. She couldn’t picture her own mother wearing something like that or coming to any of her concerts.</p>
<p>Sansa smiled warmly at her, making Shireen’s cheeks warm in happiness in response.</p>
<p>“You’re right. It doesn’t really matter, huh? It’s just a shirt and I just wanted to wear something to support you. It’s the thought that counts!”</p>
<p>Maybe if Shireen could bribe Trystane with Myrcella’s number, he’d convince his mom to do more mistakes like this in the future…</p>
<p>“Come on, Shireen, it’s time to go!”</p>
<p>“R-right!”</p>
<p>She carefully packed up her saxophone and hurried after Sansa to her car. After putting her saxophone case in the back, she sat beside Sansa and then the older female was driving off.</p>
<p>“So I emailed and text your dad about today,” Sansa told her, keeping her eyes on the road.</p>
<p>“Oh?” Shireen asked, frowning. “Did he answer back?”</p>
<p>“He hasn’t yet,” Sansa said apologetically.</p>
<p>“I doubt he will,” Shireen said, voice unintentionally letting out a little bitterness.</p>
<p>“He’ll come today,” Sansa said. “I’m sure of it.”</p>
<p>“You always say that,” she mumbled, staring down at her lap. She looked up at Sansa then. “But you’ll be there the entire time, right?” she asked hopefully.</p>
<p>“Of course! Nowhere else I’d rather be,” Sansa promised.</p>
<p>And she had never broken that promise to be at a concert for Shireen.</p>
<p>Back to smiling, Shireen hummed and waited to reach her high school.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Stannis’s brain seemed to have short-circuited. He swore that somehow he’d forgotten how to speak and he’d spent practically a minute just staring at Sansa Stark like an idiot.</p>
<p>“Mr. Baratheon?” she looked worriedly at him.</p>
<p>Gods, he didn’t know what was wrong with him.</p>
<p>He didn’t know what was worse either —that he was so surprised she was there and was the one who had been keeping him apprise of Shireen, or just how utterly <em>stunning</em> she’d grown up to be.</p>
<p>She had always been a pretty child. He’d remembered that much. But then…</p>
<p>Sansa was older and she’d never been as beautiful as she was now.</p>
<p>“Mr. Baratheon, come on over,” she smiled sweetly at him. “I have a seat saved for you, just in case you came!”</p>
<p>She’d…she’d saved a <em>seat</em> for him, even though she hadn’t known he’d come for sure? And with his track record, probably wouldn’t have come.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” he forced out stiffly after he’d walked over. He wanted to say something else, but he didn’t know what. Instead, he just sat down.</p>
<p>“Shireen will be really happy to have you here,” Sansa said excitedly. “I told her I felt you’d be able to come today!”</p>
<p>“Did you?” he asked awkwardly.</p>
<p>“I did,” she sounded earnest, continuing to gift him with her sweet smile. “I wish I could bring you over to her right now, so she’ll be pleased to know you’re here and come out and play confidently!”</p>
<p>Part of him just felt caught off guard and pleased that she seemed to care so much for his daughter and how she felt. Selyse certainly hadn’t and Stannis had trouble conveying affection to Shireen, though he tried his best.</p>
<p>Sansa, openly affectionate and kind, seemed to be someone who genuinely cared about Shireen and was probably a welcome change for his daughter against himself and her mother. A welcome change and who gave Shireen things she was desperately missing and starved for.</p>
<p>No wonder Shireen had gravitated towards Sansa.</p>
<p>“I really do appreciate what you’ve done for Shireen and all the support you’ve given her,” he said, feeling at ease at that moment, pushing himself to speak his gratitude and not fumble it around her. “All the time and effort you took to email and text me all about her band activities was very kind of you and you hadn’t needed to do all that in the first place.”</p>
<p>“I hadn’t minded at all, Mr. Baratheon,” she said, touching his arm lightly. “Shireen’s a sweetheart and she’s become like a little sister. I was glad to help her out.”</p>
<p>Stannis felt himself unwittingly smile, an unfamiliar gesture and it felt strange on his lips.</p>
<p>“Thank you, nonetheless.”</p>
<p>Sansa smiled sweetly again and before he could ask her more about Shireen’s showcase and her band stuff, Sansa’s eyes widened and she took out her phone.</p>
<p>“Oh, I know! If I take a picture and text it to her, she’ll know you’re here and be happy!”</p>
<p>Sansa began typing on her phone before she surprised him by moving in closer and sliding into place against his side, placing her head on his shoulder and holding her phone out. She took a selfie and then began typing into her phone.</p>
<p>Stannis was pretty sure he looked like a moronic imbecile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shireen adjusted her clothing, making sure her band uniform was fine and that she didn’t have a last minute wardrobe malfunction.</p>
<p>Her phone buzzed then though, and she took it out of her instrument case to gasp.</p>
<p>
  <em>Guess who’s here!</em>
</p>
<p>And after the text, she got the picture of her father with Sansa, looking utterly bewildered and cheeks slightly red.</p>
<p>Her father was actually <em>here</em>!</p>
<p>Shireen guessed Sansa had been right after all, and had called it right about her father that day.</p>
<p>Started 1/29/20 – Completed 1/31/20</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’m surprised for such a short first chapter, it’s received a fair amount of attention :D Thanks, guys, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!</p>
<p>Quick Points:</p>
<p>1. Current GoT Fics: Her Song of Fire and Ice (SansaxRoose/Stannis/Tywin), A Red King Bowed (Roose/Sansa), and March to My Heartbeat (Stannis/Sansa). Also hoping to post Deck the Halls today, to get started on that ‘verse~</p>
<p>2. Went with a saxophone for Shireen! I was thinking about it, and was convinced when someone else suggested it to me as well. Was also considering a cello and violin.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Emergency Contact</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stannis was in the midst of having his lunch break when his phone rang. He answered it without looking, pushing his food away slightly.</p>
<p>"Hello? Stannis Baratheon," he answered brusquely.</p>
<p>"Mr. Baratheon, this is Baelor High School. We're calling about your daughter? She's had an accident and asked to be picked up."</p>
<p>Alarmed, Stannis quickly shot up from his seat, already grabbing his jacket to leave. "Accident? What kind of accident?"</p>
<p>"It seems that she sprained her ankle during third period PE. While she's currently resting in the infirmary and has been treated, we felt it was best she be taken home to not stress her strained ankle."</p>
<p>"Thank you for informing me," Stannis refrained from gritting his teeth, the bad habit he'd long curbed almost easily coming back to him. "I'm on my way."</p>
<p>He walked out of his office quickly, telling his secretary where he was off to and to let his brothers know his whereabouts, and then he was driving as fast as he could in his car towards Shireen's school, just barely without breaking speeding limits.</p>
<p>By the time he'd gotten to the school, he'd worked himself up enough about Shireen's sprain and wondering how bad it actually was. He'd practically ended up storming through the doors of the infirmary, only to stop short and stare in confusion.</p>
<p>Then, as was apparently the usual with her, Stannis' mind went blank and he ended up staring idiotically at Sansa Stark (who was, for some reason) there next to his daughter.</p>
<p>Gods, she was <em>beautiful</em>.</p>
<p>Even dressed casually in plain gray leggings and in a rose pink off the shoulder sweater, she was absolutely lovely. The glimpses of her milky white skin looked so soft and his fingers twitched with the urge to caress her and see how soft her skin really was. Her long curtain of fiery hair made him ache to bury his hands in them and her pretty blue eyes called out for him to stare into them. And her petal pink lips were parted in surprise —</p>
<p>"Mr. Baratheon! I had no idea you were coming."</p>
<p>"Uh." Shit. Why wasn't his voice working? Hells, why wasn't his <em>brain</em> working right now? He couldn't make himself answer her without sounding like an idiot!</p>
<p>"The school called me," he managed, gritting his teeth. Damn it, he'd been trying so hard to stop that habit.</p>
<p>Shireen frowned. "But they'd already called Sansa."</p>
<p>He was caught off guard and very confused. "What? Why?"</p>
<p>"Didn't Uncle Davos tell you?" Shireen frowned even more at him. "Since you're always busy and Mother's never bothered, and we don't have any other reliable back ups, Uncle Davos set Sansa up as an emergency contact."</p>
<p>He felt awkward and almost ashamed. Awkward that here he was, trying to pick up his daughter, when she'd already had someone <em>much more reliable </em>(damn better reliable than him, that's for sure) here and ready to pick her up and take care of her. Ashamed that here was that person taking care of <em>his</em> daughter and doing what needed to be done for Shireen, what he should have been doing all along, with the added embarrassment that Stannis hadn't known and had been ignorant of it (her).</p>
<p>"Well…I'm here," he said uncomfortably.</p>
<p>Sansa smiled at him, making his heart thump strangely in his chest. "Then take care, you two. I'll be off."</p>
<p>Shireen looked just as disappointed as he felt, and he found himself blurting out.</p>
<p>"Why don't you have lunch with us?"</p>
<p>He almost started calling himself an idiot again, when he was relieved to have her beautiful, bright smile aimed at him again as she answered him.</p>
<p>"That would be lovely!"</p>
<p>Gods have mercy on him (and his heart).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Stannis found himself in his car, with Shireen in the back and Sansa next to him. Gods, how did he find himself in this situation?</p>
<p>"Can we go to McDonald's?" Shireen asked.</p>
<p>He stopped himself from grimacing, but his lip ended up curling just a bit. But, seeing Shireen's expectant face, he took a deep breath and nodded.</p>
<p>"Alright, we'll order through the Drive-Thru," he said but Shireen interrupted him, "Can we eat inside?"</p>
<p>Eat there? He glanced at Sansa, who was looking at him patiently. Eating there meant a little more time spent in her presence…</p>
<p>"Okay," he agreed and Shireen gave a little cheer.</p>
<p>His daughter then directed her attention towards Sansa, relating how her day went and all the work she still had to catch up with, especially now that she'd injured herself and had to go home. Stannis was a little taken aback that Shireen was so comfortable talking with the other girl, and chatting away animatedly. It wasn't like her —she wasn't much of a chatterbox, like himself.</p>
<p>And…she was talking about her day to Sansa as if <em>she</em> was the parent, in the way Shireen should've been able to talk to him or Selyse (Gods know where that woman was). In fact, it was so normal and casual, he was understanding it was a common occurrence, an everyday scene between the two. It was so normal because it <em>was</em> the norm for them.</p>
<p>His daughter had found a parent away from her actual parents.</p>
<p>It honestly made Stannis feel a little sorrowed, in the way his own daughter hadn't sought him out and didn't instinctively go to him for things, like she should've been able. That he'd apparently missed out so much on Shireen's life, and here was this sweet young woman who had cared enough to step in.</p>
<p>He missed so, so much and he didn't want to anymore.</p>
<p>And watching these two, seeing Shireen light up and Sansa smile softly and talk with his daughter, he felt moved by their closeness, the way the two cared for each other, the fact Shireen had found someone to be there for her when her own parents hadn't, and the knowledge Sansa sincerely cared and took care of Shireen, despite not being related at all to her and being virtual strangers when the two met.</p>
<p>"Why don't we have ice cream after?" he suggested and managed a small, barely there smile as his daughter cheered loudly.</p>
<p>Then Sansa gave <em>him</em> one of her soft, sweet smiles and his heart felt like it suddenly became its own drum line.<br/><br/></p>
<p>♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯</p>
<p><br/>Shireen shoveled some fries into her mouth, feeling decidedly hungry after getting hurt and the whole drama of it and then the mix up with Sansa and her dad.</p>
<p>Which, yeah, weird.</p>
<p>She hadn't actually thought he'd come, even if the school <em>had</em> managed to get through to him. Sansa had always been the one to do things like this for her and Shireen hadn't thought any different this time. But then he was there and things kind of felt awkward because <em>her dad was actually there</em>. Made further awkward because so was Sansa.</p>
<p>At least he hadn't felt strange about it or said anything too much about Sansa being there. Shireen was pretty happy that he even invited her along and thought to keep her with them for a little while longer.</p>
<p>"So how long have you two known each other?" her father asked. "Besides the times our families mixed together."</p>
<p>Of all the things for him to ask!</p>
<p>"Oh! Shireen came to me during her first year at middle school," Sansa smiled at Shireen's dad, the same smile that had Shireen wishing Sansa'd be there forever from the first moment they'd met. "She was asking for help on her instrument and on her band class, and I sort of took her under my wing. I'd say we're practically like sisters now, right Shireen?" Sansa turned her sweet smile towards her.</p>
<p>Shireen smiled back bashfully. "Yeah," though she wanted to say that Sansa was more like a mother, honestly. Especially since her mother was now officially MIA from her life.</p>
<p>"I-I really appreciate and I'm glad Shireen has you," her father surprisingly stuttered and she stared at him in surprise, watching him closely.</p>
<p>There was a tinge of red on his cheeks and his eyes were focused on Sansa. Shireen blinked.</p>
<p>Huh.</p>
<p>"She's been awesome!" Shireen mentally shrugged it off and began telling her father everything she could about what she and Sansa had been up to for the last few years, with Sansa amusedly interjecting every once and a while.</p>
<p>And all the while, her father never stopped glancing at Sansa or his cheeks cleared up from that red hue.</p>
<p>Started 2/9/20 – Completed 2/11/20</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Haha, Stannis, you cute weirdo. Shireen, please help your father XD Jk, jk –but hey! I hope you guys enjoyed it and I'm happy to hear from you guys! Send some feedback, let me know what you all would like see and all :D</p>
<p>Quick Points:</p>
<p>1. Current GoT Fics: Her Song of Fire and Ice (SansaxRoose/Stannis/Tywin), A Red King Bowed (Roose/Sansa), and March to My Heartbeat (Stannis/Sansa). Also The (Im)Perfect VERSE, including Deck the Halls and now Count Me Down to Midnight.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Confrontation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stannis had just finished a meeting with the Martell Group, satisfied with the closing he'd had with the head of it, Doran Martell. Certainly a man much easier to deal with than his brother of course, as Oberyn Martell was (in Stannis' opinion) very trying on the nerves.</p>
<p>His phone rang, and recognizing the number as Sansa's, he immediately answered it without thought.</p>
<p>"Hello?" he asked breathless, shaking his head at himself.</p>
<p>"Mr. Baratheon! It's Sansa."</p>
<p>"Sansa, thank you for calling. Is something the matter?" he managed to say normally, probably due to not facing her right then. Her voice was still very lovely to hear, and if he closed his eyes he could imagine talking to her face to face, picturing her clearly in his mind.</p>
<p>"No, not at all. I just thought I'd call you to let you know Shireen's winter concert is in a few days, instead of texting and emailing you like I normally do. I hope that's okay?"</p>
<p>"More than fine," he assured and preferred this way anyway. "I can leave work early and meet you at her high school."</p>
<p>"Great! I'll save you a seat. It'll be in the school's gym, so look for it and I'll probably already be seated."</p>
<p>"Thank you, Sansa," he said, containing his excitement to inside of him, not wanting to let her know just how much he was looking forward to seeing her again.</p>
<p>"I'll see you there!"</p>
<p>She hung up after and he took his phone away, staring at it. He took a deep breath.</p>
<p>"Hey, what's with that dreamy face, Stannis?" Renly snarked as he passed by.</p>
<p>"Shut up, Renly," he said, scowl returning.</p>
<p>"Oi! What's this I hear about Stanny getting a dreamy face? Is it because of a <em>girl</em>?"</p>
<p>Fuck his brothers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯</p>
<p><br/>As he entered the gym, he looked around to find Sansa. It wasn't hard to find her, what with her bright red hair acting like a him. She sat at the front, where a few line of extra chairs had been placed in front of the bleachers. As promised, a seat on her left was empty and he knew was saved for him.</p>
<p>Approaching her, she noticed him when he was but a few feet away.</p>
<p>"Mr. Baratheon, you're here," she smiled widely. She gestured to her left at the empty seat. "Saved you a seat, like I said I would," she winked at him.</p>
<p>One would think he'd be able to be normal around her by now. It was the third meeting, for Seven's sakes! But no —instead, he stayed silent and stared dumbly, walking over and sitting like a robot. When she resettled by his side, he was stiff as a board and wondering if this was his fate every time they'd meet.</p>
<p>"I'm glad you're here," Sansa filled in the silence comfortably, not even noticing the tension in him. "Shireen was so surprised by last time, but she told me she was really happy you'd come to the showcase."</p>
<p>"Thank you for letting me know of these things every time, even though I hadn't come before. For <em>continuing</em> to let me know of them, even when it seemed like I would never come," he expressed sincerely . It was something he was sure he'd be forever grateful for.</p>
<p>He licked his lips and looked to her seriously. "The truth is…before the invitation to Shireen's showcase, I hadn't even paid attention to the other invites. I hadn't even known they'd existed. I barely pay much attention to my personal email and I confess I probably skip over your texts because I hadn't recognized the number and had been too busy or uncaring to delete the texts as they were sent. I was so ignorant of Shireen's life that I hadn't even known she was <em>in</em> band, much less what instrument she played."</p>
<p>He waited for judgment, to see it all over her face and in her eyes, but found none. Instead, he saw her smile sadly at him.</p>
<p>"I figured that was how it was," she told him honestly. "It's not any of my business, but I know you two can have a wonderful relationship together. You two already do, if in your own quiet, sweetly awkward ways. Shireen's so much like you, I can see that now. I understand how you two will have trouble expressing yourself to each other, but I have all the faith that you two can find your way back to each other. I'm really glad I was able to reach you that day and you came to see her."</p>
<p>"And I'm glad I came," he found himself unable to stop his lips briefly lifting up. "Thanks for not giving up on me."</p>
<p>"I'm happy to have kept trying," she said teasingly. "You're a hard man to get a hold of, Mr. Baratheon."</p>
<p>"My time is limited," he played along, finding it easy to actually smile in her presence, this smile outright, even if it was a small one.</p>
<p>"I do wish I'd tried your business email sooner," Sansa said. "It's just that I was taught not to mix business with personal, and I thought at first you were getting my texts and emails from your personal and really was too busy to come."</p>
<p>"I will be taking much more of an active role for Shireen," he promised. "I hope it's not too late, but I love her and never wanted her to think I didn't or that I don't care."</p>
<p>"Oh, then I suppose Shireen won't need me to come to her parent-teacher conference this Friday," Sansa beamed at him.</p>
<p>Opposite to her positive reaction, Stannis' stomach dropped. Parent-teacher conference?</p>
<p>"This Friday?" he asked stiffly.</p>
<p>She looked uncertainly at him, probably sensing the change of emotion. "Yes, Shireen told me last week that this Thursday and Friday are early days and the parent-teacher conferences will be held either day. She told me I could come with her for Friday."</p>
<p>Stannis tried to not flinch, but it was hard not to. His daughter hadn't even said a single word about it to him. They'd even been having dinners more frequently together, since he'd taken to leaving his office earlier than usual so he could have dinner with her.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry. I didn't know she didn't say anything," Sansa bit her lip.</p>
<p>"No, no. It's not your fault," he said as he swallowed thickly. "Shireen is just not used to me taking an active interest. I'll let her know about it when we come home tonight."</p>
<p>She smiled faintly at him and reached out to touch his shoulder gently, making his heart jump into excited staccato beats he was having trouble keeping up with.<br/><br/></p>
<p>♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯</p>
<p><br/>The car ride home was quiet. Shireen was tired and Stannis was still reflecting on what was said between he and Sansa. Every few minutes, he'd glance at her and continue to stew in his thoughts.</p>
<p>"Why didn't you tell me about the parent-teacher conference this week?" he found himself asking.</p>
<p>That had Shireen blinking several times as she woke herself up more into awareness. Then she sat up in her seat and stared at her father, though Stannis kept his eyes on the road, even as his finger tapped on the wheel in agitation.</p>
<p>"Why would you care?" He was shocked at her speaking to him tersely. "It's not like you ever came to them before!"</p>
<p>Shit, Shireen was angry with him. He should've expected this. He should have known it wouldn't have been so easy to slide back into her life and be there for her, like he should've.</p>
<p>"I <em>do</em> care!" he tried to tell her. "I've never not cared about you, Shireen. I know I've been absent and haven't been there for you like I should've, but that never meant I didn't care or love you."</p>
<p>She scoffed, glaring at him through teary eyes, the same shade of blue as his. It made his heart ache and guilt to surface.</p>
<p>"Just not enough to come to my concerts or to anything important to me! You and Mother were never there! Sansa was! She's always there for me and coming to my concerts, to my conferences, to anything I needed her for! That I was <em>supposed</em> to need you and Mother for! Just leave me alone like you always do!"</p>
<p>She turned away from him and Stannis made himself focus on driving, leaving her be to calm down as he blinked his own tears from his eyes.</p>
<p>They were near to home already, but it was a long, tense silence in the car as he drove.</p>
<p>He should have waited until they were home.<br/><br/></p>
<p>♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯</p>
<p><br/>As soon as they got home, Shireen stormed from the car and slammed the door, probably just as angrily entering their home. Upset and regretful, Stannis took his time, deciding that he should give her her space and let her cool down. Instead, he grabbed her instrument case and music book, and then headed inside their silent home, placing her things by the entrance door.</p>
<p>He knew it was going to be an uphill battle from here, and that he really had missed out and messed up when it came to his daughter. Selyse, Gods damned that woman, was nowhere to be found and last he'd heard was that she was back home with her family and more than happy to have divorced him.</p>
<p>For a while now, it had been just him and Shireen. Only, they'd lived separate lives and had never been able to intersect the way they should've always been able to, and his reticence with emotion and showing affection had caused him a real relationship with his daughter.</p>
<p>He should correct that though. It hadn't just been him and Shireen. Sansa had also been a part of them, always stepping in for Stannis without him knowing, and being there for Shireen always.</p>
<p>And after Shireen's blow up, he was more than grateful for her interference and easy acceptance of his daughter into her own life.</p>
<p>If Shireen had had no one to turn to…</p>
<p>Breathing in deeply, Stannis walked up the stairs and towards his daughter's room. He knocked before announcing he was coming in and then entered.</p>
<p>After immediately noticing his daughter in bed and facing away from the door, though she was much too stiff to have been sleeping already, he looked around her room and held still.</p>
<p>There was a touch of Sansa everywhere. Photos of her and Shireen in various outfits, from Halloween to band concerts to <em>Shireen's junior high graduation</em>. Each important little memory captured in a picture, and always featuring the two girls together. Then he remembered the shirt Sansa wore the day he met her, at Shireen's showcase. Band <em>Mom</em> it read; a misprint she'd told him.</p>
<p>No, no —it was entirely correct.</p>
<p>Sansa was, more or less, Shireen's mother in all but blood. She was the only mother, <em>parent</em> Shireen considered as hers. Stannis would just be fighting to earn that right again.</p>
<p>Neither Selyse or himself were worthy enough to be called Shireen's parents, and Shireen probably didn't think of them as that. But Stannis wouldn't stop until she did again, until she was assured of his love.</p>
<p>Walking over to Shireen, he sat on the bed behind her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She tensed up even more.</p>
<p>"Shireen, I know I've not been the father you needed and wanted," he started quietly. "That is my fault. I assumed too much and thought you needed space, and gave you too much space. I've never been prone to showing affections or accepting them, nor been able to express myself normally to others. The way I grew up with your uncles and my natural disposition has made me and kept me that way. But you are my daughter and for you, I should've tried harder. I can only hope you'll eventually forgive me and let me be a father to you, to really be there for you now and earn your love back."</p>
<p>He began to retract his hand when his daughter turned around and shuffled towards him, lifting her head. Her eyes were red and still a bit teary, but she had a tiny smile that made relief rush through him. She reached out and grabbed his still held out hand.</p>
<p>"I'm angry at you, but I never said I didn't love you," she whispered. "It's just…it was worse with you than with Mother because <em>she</em> never cared and I think even disliked me. But you…you were Daddy and I loved you and you loved me, so when you were absent so much, it hurt more than it ever did with her."</p>
<p>"And I'll be here for you now," he promised.</p>
<p>Shireen bit her lip. "Can I still keep Sansa?"</p>
<p>"She's not a possession," he teased, though he squeezed her hand and nodded.</p>
<p>Besides, part of him almost said something else.</p>
<p>
  <em>As long as you share and let me keep her too.</em>
</p>
<p>Started 2/13/20 – Completed 2/14/20</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>These Baratheons. Such a dysfunctional lot~ Also, Stannis remains an Eternal Dork. And Shireen is Angry!Bby right now, but she's Cute Angry Bby :D Our Dork and Angry Bbys, people XD Lol, please send some feedback and let me know what you like and what you'd like to see!</p>
<p>Quick Points:</p>
<p>1. Current GoT Fics: Her Song of Fire and Ice (SansaxRoose/Stannis/Tywin), A Red King Bowed (Roose/Sansa), and March to My Heartbeat (Stannis/Sansa). Also The (Im)Perfect VERSE, including Deck the Halls and now Count Me Down to Midnight, and soon Be Still, Heart.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Epiphany</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stannis, for once, had decided to work from home. It was early, though Shireen had already headed off to school. She'd said something about early practice and had needed to get to school earlier than the assigned time.</p>
<p>But it made him think. He wanted to spend time with his daughter —just make a day of it. He wanted Shireen and he to reconnect and maybe just them hanging out with no other obligations would help.</p>
<p>What would they do though? Where would they go? He had no idea how to go about this and that made him feel further inadequate as a father.</p>
<p>He was not built for fatherhood, he was sure. Maybe there was just something in him and his brothers that made them incapable of being remotely able to parent or appreciate family bonds. He was certainly at a lost to what he should do and how to proceed from here for his daughter.</p>
<p>But…there <em>was</em> one person who could help. Someone who knew Shireen and has practically been a parent to her.</p>
<p>Except <em>could</em> Stannis call Sansa Stark?</p>
<p>He wasn't sure. It would be embarrassing having to ask someone for help on how to bond with his own daughter, and <em>having</em> them know he needed help —but Sansa knew about the situation and might even understand his plight. She was definitely willing to help him and Shireen, so this would be no different for her in all likeliness.</p>
<p>Just Stannis being actually there and being proactive, and not being an absentee, deadbeat dad.</p>
<p>Yes, he was going to be hard on himself because it was true.</p>
<p>So, after taking several deep breaths, he looked at his phone and reluctantly called the young woman. After just a few seconds though, he was already tempted to hang up and call it quits.</p>
<p>Luckily (unluckily), she answered the phone with a breathless "Hello?"</p>
<p>Breathless? Why was she breathless? Was she breathless because it was him calling, just like he'd been breathless the last time she'd called him —</p>
<p>"I'm sorry I sound so," she took several breaths. "Breathless! I just took a jog around the park and ended up home now. Good timing, Mr. Baratheon! Anyway, is there something I can help you with?"</p>
<p>Feeling himself blush and berate himself for his stupid thoughts, he centered himself and brought the matter to hand.</p>
<p>"I, that is…I was hoping you could help me find ways to bond with Shireen? I wanted to plan some sort of day for her, with us hopefully reconnecting."</p>
<p>"Oh! Of course I'll help! Would you like me to come over?"</p>
<p>That made his heart stutter and his cheeks warmer. Unfortunately though, Shireen would likely come back home to them discussing his plans.</p>
<p>"I don't know how long it'll take, but I know that Shireen might come home from school and find us talking about my plans. I want it to be a surprise, so I'd like to avoid her finding out."</p>
<p>Which meant they'd have to meet elsewhere. Perhaps at a café or even that park she'd been just running at —</p>
<p>"You could come over my home then!"</p>
<p>It was like his mind went into a car wreck and everything came screeching to a halt. His mouth went dry and his tongue felt heavy, and Gods why was it so hard to <em>talk</em>?</p>
<p>"Ngh?"</p>
<p>No, no, no —why did that happen?!</p>
<p>"Mr. Baratheon, is something wrong? Do you need me to call 911? Mr. Baratheon!"</p>
<p>Oh fuck, he'd gotten her all worried over him and he was still being an unresponsive idiot.</p>
<p>"Fine," he bit out. He cleared his throat. "I'm fine. I, uh, was distracted for a moment. But yes, your place is fine, if you're okay with it?"</p>
<p>"Sure, of course," and she rattled off her address to him and they hung up soon after.</p>
<p>Stannis buried his face into his hands. What's wrong with him?<br/><br/></p>
<p>♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯</p>
<p><br/><br/>He'd driven himself over quickly, not wanting to wait. And by the Seven, when she'd opened the door to him, <em>he</em> was the one feeling breathless, as if he'd run all the way from his home to hers.</p>
<p>She was all smiles for him, wearing a flowy blouse that was a soft pink that went well with her fiery red hair and pale skin. Her bright blue Tully eyes were almost twinkling in greeting at him, as if welcoming him home. And her legs —long, lean legs that were encompassed by fitted leggings that accentuated everything.</p>
<p>"Come in, come in, Mr. Baratheon!" she kept smiling, moving aside to let him into the apartment. "Don't mind Lady. She'd get up to greet you, but she's an elderly," Sansa said teasingly, glancing at the wolfish looking dog laying on a large dog bed by the kitchen island.</p>
<p>Lady barely lifted her head, made a soft bark, before laying her head back down and going back to sleep.</p>
<p>"I've had her for a little over a decade," Sansa told him with a tender smile at her dog. "Dr. Tarly tells me she's getting too old to be running around much."</p>
<p>"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, thinking of Proudwing, the bird he'd once rescued years ago. "I'm sure she knows how much you love her."</p>
<p>That had Sansa smiling at him again, making his heart act strangely once more. Perhaps it was a precursor to a heart attack…</p>
<p>"Would you want something to drink, Mr. Baratheon?" she asked him, heading over to the kitchenette.</p>
<p>"Water is fine," he replied, glad that he wasn't making a fool of himself in her presence. "Do you have any lemons? I tend to have a slice with my water."</p>
<p>"Oh! I do. Lemon and any lemon things are my favorite," she told him, grabbing a fresh one from her fridge and slicing it in half, before slicing off two individual slices of it. She took two glasses filled with iced water and placed a slice of lemon in each of them. She led the way to her couch, where he almost hesitated obviously.</p>
<p>They were going to sit on the couch. Together. Next to each other.</p>
<p>Stannis slowly followed the rest of the way, sitting next to her, and realized his worries. It was definitely too small to fit them both and their sides were pressed together.</p>
<p>"So were you thinking anything specific yet, Mr. Baratheon?"</p>
<p>"Call me Stannis," he blurted out before mentally cursing at himself.</p>
<p>Why was he such a clumsy fool when it came to her?</p>
<p>But then she was grinning. "Then call me Sansa please!"</p>
<p>"Sansa," he found himself saying before sighing inwardly. He hadn't even had a reason to say her name, aside from just wanting to! When was he going to stop embarrassing himself?</p>
<p>"If you didn't have an idea yet, I thought you could take her to the beach? She's told me before how she misses going to the beach with you, how you'd used to take her out there when she was younger and let her play in the sand in the waves."</p>
<p>Stannis was taken aback. He didn't know what to feel about that. Sad and reminisced of such memories, that he'd stop being able to do such a simple but happy thing with his daughter, that Shireen remembered and missed those times herself. She had even told Sansa about it.</p>
<p>"Selyse never came," he murmured, thinking back to those times. "She hated the sand and couldn't understand why Shireen liked playing with it so much. She was always complaining about us going, but it was just the two of us and it was our time together. Shireen and I loved the sea. We loved the water and being out there for us was calming and special. We could spend hours just out there."</p>
<p>It again made him melancholic and wistful of the past, again a reminder of how far apart he and Shireen had become.</p>
<p>A soft hand on his startled him out of his thoughts, and he saw Sansa giving him a hesitant look, but still sweet and kind.</p>
<p>"You're really easy to talk to," he found himself murmuring, caught off guard by the admission.</p>
<p>"I'm glad," she told him shyly. "The truth is, Shireen is <em>important</em> to me. She's not…I'm not really related to her or anything, but all these years with her and it's almost as if she is. In fact, I really do consider her family, Mr. Barath —Stannis," she amended. Then she gave an almost helpless shrug. "I know she's been upset by the distance between the two of you. I don't want to overstep, but I can't help myself," she admitted to him. "You and Shireen, even if you haven't been physically part of us before now, have been such a large part of my life and most of all, I want to make Shireen happy."</p>
<p>"Part of that happiness being marred by me," Stannis looked down. But in that angle, he saw her grip his hand and he found himself gripping it back.</p>
<p>"I want her happy," Sansa continued as Stannis looked back at her. "So I want to do everything I can to help you two, even if it's making myself available for you to ask whatever you need or being extremely nosy and interfering. Besides, you have the added benefit of being just as easy to talk to for me as well!"</p>
<p>Stannis looked at her in bewilderment. Him? He would scoff but didn't want to offend her; just that him being easy to talk to was something he'd never heard described about him. As far as he was concerned, most people thought he was a difficult person, and hardly someone 'easy to talk to'.</p>
<p>"You know, my father and I had a similar problem," Sansa said. "It wasn't that he loved me any less, and definitely not any lesser than my siblings, but I was definitely the child he couldn't understand or relate to as much, which made it difficult for the two of us to communicate for the longest time. That's also why I don't want you and Shireen to feel like this and end up so distant from each other for so long, when you two can change things and I can help push that change. A miscommunication of feelings caused my father and I to not connect the way we were supposed to, and I want to make sure things aren't like that for you and Shireen."</p>
<p>It really moved him that she cared and wanted to help him and Shireen so much.</p>
<p>"The beach," he proclaimed, feeling lighter and happier than he had in years. And it was all because of her. "I'll take Shireen out to the beach after making her breakfast. Afterwards, we can…" he trailed off unsurely.</p>
<p>"She likes to binge movies on Friday nights and some weekends, so if you're planning this then, you could stay up and binge with her," Sansa suggested.</p>
<p>"Okay, I can do that," he agreed, finding it simple and easy to do. And if it was something Shireen usually did and liked, then it's something he could share in with her.</p>
<p>Without even thinking, he began to smile at her and realized he was feeling relaxed and not at all tense or unhappy.</p>
<p>In fact, he was <em>very</em> happy…</p>
<p>Stannis looked at the sweetly smiling Sansa, with her rose-tinted cheeks, her copper-colored hair, and those blue as the sky eyes and felt his heart begin that familiar racing beat that it went into around her.</p>
<p>And he made the realization that he really adored this girl who had unexpectedly crashed into his life, even though she'd already found her way into it before he even knew it.</p>
<p>Started 2/17/20 – Completed 2/21/20</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Stanniiiis! You dork XD Eh, at least you’re smartening up to things (and also getting the clue, lol). Haha, at least these two are on first name basis now, though it took the halfway point for them to do so. Let’s keep going! Anyway, thank you all for continuing to support this story and continue to leave feedback! I love to know what you guys like or what to see~</p>
<p>Quick Points:</p>
<p>1. Current GoT Fics: Her Song of Fire and Ice (SansaxRoose/Stannis/Tywin), A Red King Bowed (Roose/Sansa), and March to My Heartbeat (Stannis/Sansa). Also The (Im)Perfect VERSE, including Deck the Halls and now Count Me Down to Midnight, and now Be Still, Heart.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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